Santa Fe, New Mexico ~ September 2011

The second half of our New Mexico vacation was spent in Santa Fe.

Camel Rock.

Mark chatting up one of the locals. 

We visited The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and the El Santuario de Chimayo. 

The dirt on the floor of the El Santuraio de Chimayo is thought to be blessed.  Thousands have used this dirt to perform miracles on the sick, injured and dying. 

It is possible that Santa Fe has even more public art than Albuquerque.

We visited the New Mexico State Capital.  The door was open so we peeked into the Senate Gallery.

We took our chances and stayed at a "low budget" motel. It was just fine.  

 We were told that this motel has been used for several movie sets.

More delicious food... more peppers. 

Albuquerque, New Mexico ~ September 2011

Mark and I spent 4 wonderful days in New Mexico enjoying 

the sights, the food and the local culture.

 My favorite meal was this beef chili with locally grown peppers.

We hiked a bit.

We took the tram up Sandia Peak.  

 Sunset from the mountain top.

Lots of churches.

We visited the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.  

It was fascinating!

Lots of local art.

We visited the Albuquerque Balloon Museum.

We watched the Triple A World Series at Isotopes Park.

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers 4 -3.

We had front row seats on the first base line.

A day at the races ~ September 2011

Family outing to Golden Gate Fields to watch the horses

 race and enjoy yummy food from the fancy food trucks.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Wonderful Cupcakes

Kat won 80 cents!

After 25 years I returned to Chico ~ September 2011

The campus looked even better than I remembered.

Kat on one of the many bridges on campus. 

We showed Kat "our" favorite booth at The Bear.

Many burgers and beers were consumed at The Bear during our Chico years.  

We had dinner at The Italian Cottage.  

The spaghetti and garlic bread were just as good as I remembered from my weekly dinners with Mark, Darrell Johnson and Chris Cole.

Of course we showed Kat One Mile, 

a favorite spot for relaxation and studying during the warm Chico summers.

Chico really is a beautiful place.  This is The Coverage Bridge at Five Mile.

California State Faire ~ July 2011

Mark & I spent the day in Sacramento at the California State Faire.

Highlight of the day was the Demolition Derby!

The special event at the Demolition Derby was the RV event.

Faire Food ~~ a footlong dog wrapped in a corkscrew of fried potatoes.

Kat turns 16! ~ July 2011

A Tomsic family tradition.
 ~~ put a ring on the birthday candle~~
~~ make a wish~~
~~ when the candle goes out you get your wish ~~ 

Grandma's birthday gift was a Monte Vista Letterman's jacket.

If you are ever in Reno...

you should have breakfast at Peg's.

The french toast and omelets were delicious! 

Kat helped coach a 12 year old softball team who played a tournament in Reno.